Charles Adam "Charlie" Hayton is the son of Becca Dean and Justin Burton, Becca gave birth to him after being sentenced to imprisonment after alleged under-age activity with Justin Burton. After Charlie was born, it was unknown whether Justin or Jake Dean was his father. Becca originally gave Charlie to Jake, but when Justin firsts meets Charlie after stealing Jake's car Justin realizes he is the dad. Steph Dean convinced Jake to take a paternity test in January 2007, but Jake destroyed the results and assumed the role of Charlie's father, along withNancy Osborne. In February 2007, his mother was stabbed in prison, and dies afterwords, and Charlie never got a chance to see her.

When Charlie was taken in to hospital in January 2008 for leukaemia treatment, it was revealed that Jake was not the biological father (his blood did not match that of Charlie), and that Justin was actually the father of Charlie. After the start of the custody proceedings between Nancy and Jake (following Jake's attempted rape of Nancy), in March 2008, Jake attempted to take his own life, along with that of Charlie. Jake was put into a secure unit and Justin convinced Jake to confess to the murder of Sean Kennedy (although he had nothing to do with the murder) in agreement that he would stop backing Nancy with her case to get custody. Jake agreed under the condition that not only Justin back up Frankie in the court case, but also walk out of Charlie's life for good. Charlie stayed with Frankie.

Charlie was mentioned on Friday 6 March 2009 during a conversation between Justin, his father's flatmate Ste Hay and a group of men in The Dog in the Pondwho call themselves "The Rowdy Boys". They were talking about their children and Ste informed them that Justin had a little boy, he then proceeded to say that Justin didn't mind not being part of his son's life to which Justin replied that Charlie was better off where he was. One of "The Rowdy Boys" Ste's friend Natty then said that he'd have to be somewhere pretty good then. Justin got angry told Natty he didn't know anything about him (Justin) and stormed off.

On 3 June 2009, Justin left the village asking best friend Ste Hay to keep an eye on Charlie. In October 2009, Jake was released from a secure unit but was told he must stay away from Charlie. Frankie still couldn't trust Jake, and gave Charlie to Nancy.

In 2012 Charlie's aunt Nancy married Darren Osborne, and they moved into the Pub meaning Charlie was with Frankie once again. In December of that same year, Charlie Dean ran away from home and falls over and bashes his head off a tree branch. The Osbournes get a search party out to find him. Seamus Brady finds Charlie and saves him.

In August 2013, Sienna tricks Nancy saying to take the children that she is allowed to but isn't so Nancy takes them. Sienna ties herself up in the kitchen and turns the gas on, Sienna and Darren phone the police and Nancy collides into lots of cars and bashes into a brick wall on top of the hospital roof and the car is half way off the roof, Nancy tells Charlie to take Oscar out the seat CAREFULLY and for him to climb into the front he does it and Nancy tells Charlie to play a game and climb out the car they do it and the car falls off but luckily Oscar Osborne, Charlie and Nancy get out, Joe Roscoe and Sandy Roscoe are standing at the bottom and Sienna Blake and Darren are with the police, Nancy hands Oscar and Charlie over and gets arrested and also gets put to a secure unit, Charlie and Tom Cunningham are really missing Nancy, when will Nancy get out?

In September 2013 Darren (with his girlfriend Sienna) moves out of the Pub and tries to take Charlie with him. However, Frankie and Jack protest Charlie moving out of the Pub because Charlie is only related to Nancy and not Darren. Sienna finds out Frankie cheated on Jack with Ziggy Roscoe, and blackmails Frankie into letting Charlie stay with Darren. Frankie agrees, and Charlie moves in with Darren. Soon afterwards, after being persuaded by Darren to change her statement about Nancy because Tom ran away (we later find out that he was kidnapped by Sienna), Nancy is given the flat by Darren and they move back into the pub.